We Planted a Tree
by Beautiful Bellies
Summary: Nearly two years ago, Bella and I took a walk in the garden and we planted a tree-our family tree. She was the flower and I was the seed, and out of that walk was born two precious angels. It was the start of the next generation of Cullens.


**Beautiful Bellies Contest: Take Two**

**Title: **We Planted A Tree

**List of prompts used: **A: Braxton Hicks, Lamaze B: Boggle, Scattergories C: tweak, blubber D: nitwit, irregardless E: pumpkin, blizzard, chocolate

**Characters/pairing: **Edward and Bella

**Genre: **Romance

**Word Count: **7946

**Rating: **T

**Summary: **Nearly two years ago, Bella and I took a walk in the garden and we planted a tree-our family tree. She was the flower and I was the seed, and out of that walk was born two precious angels. It was the start of the next generation of Cullens.

**We Planted A Tree**

One day, nearly two years ago, my beautiful girlfriend, Bella, sat me down to have a serious talk. At first, I thought that we would be talking about marriage. Marriage had been the hot topic of late.

Bella and I were one of those couples that had been together for what felt like forever. We had been a couple since we were both fourteen and so now, being both twenty-four, we had been together for a little over ten years. However, I hadn't yet popped the question and made us officially man and wife. But, I'd say we certainly acted like an old, married couple already, especially since we'd been living together since we started college.

Therein laid the problem.

Since we had been together for so long, everyone else around us thought it about time that we finally got married. Both her parents and mine were particularly loud in echoing that sentiment. Everyone also thought it appropriate to point it out to us that we should be ready for marriage by now, every chance they got. Friends, who had been together for less time than Bella and I, were getting married; naturally, there was pressure for us to follow in their footsteps.

The pressure for me to propose, and for Bella and I to walk down the aisle as soon as possible, was becoming quite unbearable and nearly stifling. I didn't need everyone intervening in my personal life.

Bella, however, had been very understanding on the matter. She never once expressed to me a need to get married at this point in our lives, and I was very grateful that she didn't add to the pressure.

My best friend, Emmett, and consequently, also my brother-in-law, warned me that it was only a matter of time, however, before Bella would fall to the pressure and would be demanding an ultimatum-either marry her, or stop stringing her along and let her go, so that she could move on with her life. I would never understand why Emmett thought he had become an expert in my relationship. He only thought he knew what was best for me and Bella. I didn't need nor value his opinion.

He didn't know Bella the way I did. I had a hard time believing that would be true of Bella. She knew that I loved her and that I wasn't just stringing her along for all this time. Our relationship was fine and comfortable.

It wasn't that I didn't want to marry Bella. Quite the opposite, really. I already saw her as my wife. For all intents and purposes, she was my partner for life, and since we'd been living together for so long already, our state recognized her to be my common-law wife. Having an actual wedding was just a formality.

I knew that it would please Bella and our family and friends to have an actual ceremony, and I wasn't going to disappoint them on that regard. I'd always known, from the moment that I'd held Bella's hand for the first time, that she'd be my wife some day. It's just that I'd wanted to be the one to give Bella the wedding of her dreams and not have to count on anyone else to have to pay for our wedding, even though both sets of parents had generously offered to shoulder the costs. I couldn't allow that to happen.

I was waiting till I was more financially sound, which was going to be soon, so I already had a plan to whisk Bella off to a romantic getaway and propose. It was going to be a complete surprise for her.

Unbeknownst to Bella, I had been saving for our wedding day since that day I'd held her hand for the first time. It was just a little bit at first-money I put aside from my allowance, extra change I might've had, even any stray dollars I'd found here and there. Throughout college, I'd given up my weekly Starbucks coffee and had a few less nights eating out and going bar hopping with the guys. When I finally landed my dream job after earning my degree in architecture, I was able to start saving a lot more than just a few dollars on the side. The wedding fund grew quickly. Now, I think I accumulated enough to give Bella any type of wedding her heart desires, and if we don't use all the money on the wedding, then we have a head start on our nest egg.

When Bella sat me down to have our talk about our future, I thought that it might just be Emmett's prediction coming to fruition, that Bella was going to ask where we'd go from here, and give me that ultimatum about marriage. I certainly wouldn't have blamed her, since the pressure from others were intense. Either that, or she had found out about my secret wedding fund, or worse, my surprise plans.

I was all ready to have this long-awaited marriage talk with Bella, especially since I had formulated a definite plan in my mind; it was time. However, nothing could have prepared me for what Bella actually had to say.

"Um, I don't know how to tell you this, exactly," Bella began.

"Just tell me," I coaxed her. "You know that you could talk to me about anything."

"All right...here goes. Just remember you love me, okay?"

"You know that I love you always and no matter what. What is this about, honey?" I asked, suddenly puzzled.

"A couple of days ago, I found an unopened box of tampons in my cabinet under our bathroom sink. At first, I didn't really think anything of it, until I realized that I couldn't exactly remember ever having my last period. I had lost track, but I figured it was because I had been so busy lately, so it was bound to happen. Then I checked my dates and realized that I was late."

"Late?" I interjected.

"Yeah, my period was late."

"So, what's going on exactly?" Even I could hear the worry in my voice.

"I'm pregnant, Edward," Bella suddenly blurted out, and my jaw went slack.

"What! Are you sure?" I had to ask.

"I'm sure. After I realized my period was late, I went to the drugstore and picked up a few pregnancy tests. Three different kinds, actually. I used every last one and they all told me the same thing-pregnant," she explained.

"But...but...how could that be? We were being careful. You were taking your pills, right?"

"Yes. Admittedly, I'd missed one or two along the way; it happens sometimes, but I just doubled-up the next day like instructed. So, we should've been okay. I'd followed the protocol before and nothing like this had ever happened."

"I wore condoms, too," I inserted.

"I know. I thought we were protected and it had to be impossible that I was pregnant. I've heard of false positives with these types of tests before, so I made an appointment with my gynecologist just to be absolutely sure."

"And...was it a false positive?" I could hear the hope in my voice.

Bella bit on her bottom lip and paused before she answered. That was never a good sign. She only did that when she was worried about telling me something.

I already knew the answer before she even told me.

We were going to be parents.

Outside I had to look calm for Bella's sake, but my insides were a complete mess. My stomach was doing flip-flops it had no business doing and I really felt like I could hurl out what was my lunch.

I knew Bella must have been feeling as much anxiety as I was. Having a baby wasn't in either of our plans for the near future.

"I'm definitely pregnant," she uttered nervously. She then fished something out of her pocket and handed it to me. "In fact, here...take a look."

I was proud of myself for not being a complete nitwit and knew that what she handed me was an ultrasound picture she probably got from her doctor's office. The only thing was that I couldn't discern anything in particular. It was like one of those trick photos where you really had to know what you were looking for in order to see the picture.

"Okay, I know this is supposedly an ultrasound picture of the baby, but I really can't make out a thing," I told Bella honestly.

Bella giggled. "I know. At first, I also had trouble figuring out what I was looking at until the tech showed me precisely." She then maneuvered herself to sit next to me on the couch and delicately took the picture in her hands. "You see this little blob here that kind of looks like a kidney bean," and she guided my finger over to said bean looking blob. "That's our baby. I'm still too early on in the pregnancy, only about seven weeks along, to have it look anything like a real baby yet, but that's our developing baby."

I took the ultrasound picture back and intensely stared at the mass that was supposed to be mine and Bella's baby. It boggled my mind that this little, white, kidney bean looking mass was inside of Bella right at that moment and would continue to grow into a living, breathing baby. I guess right then it was technically considered a fetus and not quite a baby, yet.

I then noticed that there was another similar looking mass in the picture.

"Uh, so if this one is supposed to be our baby, did the tech explain what this other thing is? It looks the same. Or are my eyes just playing tricks on me now?" I inquired.

Bella giggled again. I didn't understand what she found so funny.

"Yeah, the tech explained that the other kidney bean in there is our other baby," she calmly revealed to me.

I, on the other hand, became anything but calm. "Two babies!" I nearly shouted, with my voice rising at least two octaves. "Not only are you surprising me with news that I'm now going to be a father, but also we're going to have two babies," I continued to say loudly while I flailed about, causing Bella to flinch slightly.

Bella then burst out crying. With a trembling voice, she apologized, "I'm so sorry, Edward. I know that children weren't in our immediate plans. But...but...there's nothing we could do now."

My heart went out to Bella. She probably blamed herself for the situation we found ourselves in. It was about as much her fault as it was mine. We tried to prevent this exact thing from happening, since we weren't ready for a family yet, but we must've gone wrong somewhere. I couldn't let her be hard on herself.

Dammit, we weren't ready to be parents, but it looks like we had to get ready awfully quickly. Bella was pregnant and there was nothing we could do to change things. What's done was done.

I put the ultrasound picture down on the coffee table in front of us and encircled Bella in my arms. She used that opportunity to climb into my lap and wrap her own arms around me, sobbing into my shirt.

I patted her back and softly told her, "Hey, hey...there's no need for tears. Isn't this supposed to be a happy occasion?"

"Yes, normally," Bella mumbled into my shirt.

"Then those better be happy tears then," I said.

"But...but...I messed up, Edward," she mumbled again through her sobs.

"Hey, we both messed up. It took the both of us to tango, remember? It's not all your fault. So, please don't blame yourself. I had just as much of a hand in us getting this..., um, surprise. We both know that the use of birth control isn't 100% full-proof. There are couples all the time that get pregnant while still using various birth control methods. Apparently, we're one of them. We'll just fall into that fail rate." I chuckled, trying to lessen the tension in the room.

"You're not mad at me?" Bella asked as her tears finally stopped, looking directly into my face to gauge my reaction.

"I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?"

She looked at me incredulously. "Because I know how much of a planner you are, and this definitely wasn't in the plans."

"Granted, I am surprised. Okay, more shocked, to be honest, and it has thrown my world...our world off-kilter, but it's nothing to be upset about. It wasn't as if we didn't plan on having children together eventually. It's a little earlier than we had expected, but that's all right. We'll manage. We're in this together. Anyways, plans are never set in stone and are meant to be tweakedevery now and again," I told her honestly.

It wasn't the most ideal situation to be in, but I was okay with this. We were at a good place in our lives. I could financially support both Bella and our children, and that was important to me. I was all ready to make Bella my wife officially, so why not just start on our family as well. It was the next logical step after all. Although, I was surprised by the news, and had never planned for having children come into our world this soon, I was actually happy for us. I'd always knew that Bella would be the mother of my children, and it was happening. No doubt, soon she would also be my wife, especially in light of her condition.

If I thought about it, all my dreams were coming true.

It wasn't as if I had any other options, but to make parenthood work. There was no way Bella and I would think of ever terminating her pregnancy or giving the babies up for adoption, just because we weren't completely ready for them. Those options wouldn't be right for us and more importantly, I'm convinced that both sets of our parents would absolutely kill us if they ever found out. I already knew without Bella even telling me that she had planned to see this pregnancy through. Even though, Bella's pregnancy has thrown a big kink in my immediate plans, I would never leave her to raise our children alone. What kind of man would that make me?

I am a man that stepped up to my responsibilities.

"So, you're really okay with this? We're really gonna do this?" Bella asked, still uncertain about my feelings.

I gave her a sincere smile. "Of course. Look, I know I wasn't the guy that immediately jumped for joy when you broke the news. But, you had to understand that I was shocked. Now, that the news has had time to sink in, I'm actually happy for us. I see no reason why we couldn't start on our family now. Sure, it's going to be life-changing, but I think we're both at a point in our lives where we can handle it. We're pretty settled at this point. The babies can only make our lives better."

Bella hugged me to her in an impassioned embrace and enthusiastically said, "Oh, Edward. I wasn't expecting you to jump up and down in joy. I knew finding out we're expecting would be a shock, and understandably so. I just wanted you to be okay with becoming a father and to make sure that we were on the same page. Admittedly, I was just as shocked as you when I confirmed that we were absolutely going to be parents, but the moment the tech pointed out our two little babies on the screen, it made sense to me. I guess my maternal instinct kicked in. I could imagine them growing inside of me and I cherished that. I love them already, Edward."

"Then how could I not be overjoyed too, Bella? Y'know, my grandmother always said that a child is a blessing no matter what. And, as you know, Gran, was a wise woman. So, we should look at our babies as a blessing. I care to think of them as that instead of an unexpected accident. Ready or not, they'll be coming."

"Yes, they will be," Bella gushed. "Awww...I can't wait to meet them seven months from now."

Being the planner that I was, I was already going over in my head what needed to be done in order for Bella and I to be ready for the babies' arrival into the world. My head was spinning, because there was so much that we had to do.

Of course, the very first thing on my list was to make Bella marry me as soon as possible.

There was no way I was letting our babies come into this world with their mother being simply my girlfriend, especially since Bella has already meant so much more to me. Call me old-fashioned, but I had to make Bella my wife, officially.

Seven months. That didn't give me much time. In light of the news, I needed to fast-forward my marriage plans.

I was certain Bella would want to get married before she even started to show. Like most women I knew, Bella did have somewhat of a vain side, and I don't think she'd envisioned herself walking down the aisle with all eyes focused on her burgeoning belly.

I had to forgo proposing during my planned romantic getaway. I would have wasted too much time by then. I needed to propose right away.

I was glad that I already had the ring.

Bella uttered, "There's so much we got to do in order to prepare for the babies. I mean expecting one is hard enough for first time parents like us, but two. It's a whole different level."

"Ain't that the truth," I concurred. "Have you told anyone else about our news, yet?"

"No, of course not. Naturally, I wanted you to be the first to know. Plus, I didn't know how you'd react exactly, so I didn't want to jump the gun, so to speak, before the news start to spread around. Oh gosh, I wonder how everyone will react. Our parents, especially."

"Good. I'm glad that the news is only between us for now. I'm sure the reactions will be priceless, especially from our parents. You know how they've been going on and on about our future together lately." Bella nodded in agreement. "I think there's something I need to absolutely do first before we let everyone in on our news," I expressed.

"Oh? What would that be?" Bella questioned.

"Well, first off, I think I should thank you," I began.

"Thank me?" Bella interjected.

"For not only blessing me with the gift of one baby, but two. You're going to be a wonderful mother to our twins. You were made to be a mom, Bella. I always knew that. I'm so glad that you're gonna bear my children. They are going to be in good hands. You love and have bonded with them already. That's great. It's more than I could ever have dreamed of asking and you, along with the babies, are truly an amazing gift. I'm sure there are many men out there that would be envious of me right at this moment."

Bella blushed. She always blushed when I complimented her. It was the cutest thing and one of the reasons why I fell for her in the first place.

"Awww...thank you. That was so sweet of you to say. Don't sell yourself short, I know you're going to be a great dad as well. You have so many redeeming qualities, too. It's why I've stuck with you so long and I couldn't dream of having children with anyone else. You've always taken such good care of me."

"And I'm going to do the same for our babies," I added.

"I know you will," Bella responded in kind. "I love you so much. I can't wait to go on this journey with you. We're going to have an amazing family. The babies, if anything, are going to be born into a family with so much love."

"That's another truth," I affirmed.

"So, who do you think we should tell first?" Bella asked.

"I love you, too, honey. Always. I think we should save the phone calls for now. There's still something else I need to do. Then, afterwards, I'm certain there will be a lot to talk about with everyone else."

"Um, okay. What else do you have to do before we tell everyone our good news?" Bella was puzzled.

"Wait, right here. I need to go get something."

I then moved her off my lap and gently set her down on the couch. I then headed for our bedroom to retrieve the ring I had bought her from its hiding place in our closet. I cupped it in my hands. Fortunately, my hands were big enough to conceal the little, blue, velvet box.

I came strolling back to her with a huge smile on my face. Bella looked upon me suspiciously.

"What's going on, babe?" She inquired.

She brought out the "babe." Bella only called me that when she was highly suspicious and wanted to cajole information from me which she thought I wouldn't tell her otherwise.

I was debating on whether to drop down on one knee right then, or lead up to the proposal first. I thought it would be best to prepare her, like she had done for me with the pregnancy news.

I sat beside her on the couch and took a deep breath. "Bella, honey, today has been a huge day in both of our lives. I had never planned on us becoming parents this soon, but I can't say that I regret it happening. I've always believed that things happen for a reason and so there must be a reason why the universe saw it fit to make us parents now. My future plans have been altered, but not by very much. Just the time line."

Bella looked puzzled. I could almost see the wheels turning in her pretty, little head, with the way she was trying to figure out what was going on.

"About that thing I needed to do..." I paused, then moved off the couch and got down on one knee.

I think she had some idea now. ".God! Edward, what are you doing?" Bella sort of whisper-shouted.

"I hadn't planned on doing this today. I actually had a romantic getaway planned for us next month where I was going to do this, but in light of the circumstances, I think I should do this now."

"You're not...," Bella tried to interject.

"Oh, but I am," I said with a huge smile.

Bella stayed silent while I continued my proposal speech, but I could see tears forming once again. Bella had always been a highly emotional creature. She was the type that cried at sappy movies. However, that was just another one of her endearing qualities.

"Isabella Swan, I've always known that I loved you from the moment we held hands for the first time. There was a power in your touch. There was a connection I swear I felt all the way down to my soul. I knew that I'd never feel that way with another and since then I knew that one day you'd be my wife. I've always envisioned this, and in a lot of ways, I already see you as being my wife. You're certainly my partner for life. I just hadn't made us official yet. I had been waiting till I was in a good place to become a proper husband to you and now I think that the time has come. So, hopefully, you don't feel that I've waited too long and will do me the extreme honor of marrying me."

"Oh, honey, we don't have to just because I'm pregnant," Bella said, instead of actually saying "yes."

I got off of my knee, sat with her on the couch, and held both of her hands in mine. I gazed upon her intently, wanting her to know the complete sincerity in my intentions.

"I know. I want to. In case you've already forgotten, I was already planning to propose, but now that time seemed too far away in light of the news. I felt I had to do it now. And, before you try to say anything, my choice to propose also had nothing to do with all the pressure that we'd been getting of late. The time has just come. Bella, I don't know if you ever knew this, but I'd been ready to marry you ever since we were both merely fourteen. I already knew back then that you were meant to be my one and only forever. But, I couldn't very well marry you back then and still not when I wasn't able to properly provide for you. I was waiting till we were more settled, and more importantly, till I had saved enough to give you the wedding of your dreams, because I wanted to be the one to give that to you and not have to rely on either of our parents. You may find that a silly notion, but it means a lot to me that I could be the one to make all your wedding dreams come true. I know it has taken me long enough-ten years. But, you have to understand that I hadn't managed to save very much at all until I got my job and we really did only become more settled after graduation. There were so many times I wanted to and could've proposed, but no time before has really felt like it was the right time to do so. But, now, it feels right," I explained to Bella.

Bella's face was unreadable, which made me nervous. Normally, I prided myself in being able to read Bella very well. However, at that moment, I didn't know what was going on in that pretty, little head of hers. She looked equal parts astonished, upset, happy, and angry. All of those emotions flashed quickly upon her face, not settling on any one feeling, and making it difficult for me to gauge what she was thinking.

There was just silence between us for a time, as I watched Bella processing all that I had said. It was driving me crazy, so I felt I had to say something.

"Bella, baby, do you have an answer for me?" Admittedly, my voice squeaked a little, a bit anxious about what Bella had to say. "Um, I know it's a lot to process. I can give you more time if you need it," I continued to say rather timidly.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me," Bella stated, then proceeded to plant her lips on mine. My body wasted no time responding to her.

After we came up for air from the searing kiss, Bella happily said, "In case, you didn't understand, that was my yes."

"Really?" I asked, still incredulous.

"Edward, honey, did you really think that I would turn you down?" Bella asked back, just as incredulous.

"Well, I know I took you by surprise, and frankly, your face was a myriad of emotions. I didn't know where your head was at. I even thought you might've been upset with me, especially since you didn't say yes right away."

"I was just processing everything you'd said, and naturally, I was taken aback. To be perfectly honest, I never really thought that you'd ever want to get married, like you weren't the type. The way you'd just eye-roll our family and friends when they mentioned marriage made me think that it wasn't something that you wanted for yourself. Plus, you already seemed too comfortable with our life the way that it is. It didn't bother me, though. I knew you loved me wholeheartedly and that I loved you just as much, not to mention our sex life is amazing, so I was going to stay with you no matter what. And like you, I also already knew that you'd always be the one and only for me. I could never leave. I came to learn for myself that a wedding wasn't really a big deal to me. We already seem like man and wife, and for all intents and purposes, we kind of are. But, in light of that, of course I would never turn down your proposal, no matter the circumstances that has caused it to come about. I know that you have the best intentions. The only thing I was kind of upset about was that you'd kept this wedding fund from me and you'd made me think that you weren't the marrying type; however, I've gotten over those things very quickly," Bella clarified.

"I owe you an apology. I'm sorry for having made you think that I wasn't the marrying type. I don't know what ever gave you that idea, but I could understand why you'd think that. I know this wedding has been a long time coming. I'd already explained why. I'm also sorry that I had to keep the wedding fund a secret. But, you've got to understand that I wanted to surprise you."

"Consider me surprised. I can't be mad at you for it, though. It's actually the sweetest notion and I love you for it. You really are the most thoughtful person," and with that she gave me another passionate kiss.

The kiss led to another and even knew what was really happening, we were both naked and making love on the couch. I couldn't complain. After we had both climaxed and were sated, we laid there on the couch, cuddled up together with glowing smiles on our faces, in companionable silence until Bella disturbed the quiet around us.

"So, honey, how much money are we talking here?" She uttered seemingly out-of-the-blue.

"Huh?" My mind was far from thinking about our financials, so it took me a little while to understand.

"The wedding fund, silly," she exclaimed, as she swatted me on the chest playfully. "How much money did you have saved up to give me the wedding of my dreams? What are we talking here? Thousands?"

"Oh that. It's more tens of thousands, honey," and I watched Bella's eyes grow wide. "Weddings can be very expensive these days, as you can imagine. I wanted to make sure that whatever would be your heart's desire would be covered."

"And, what if I wanted this huge, lavish, wedding that still wasn't affordable to you, despite your wedding fund?" It was my turn to have my eyes grow wide.

"I'd always figured that you'd work on planning the wedding under the constraints of the budget and I feel it's a large enough sum for you to work with to have a fairly nice wedding. Maybe not exactly lavish, but still enough for you to splurge a little here and there, and not to have to be constrained too much. If it's not enough, I'm sure I can figure something out. But, do you really want a lavish wedding? I kind of pegged you to be more of a simple girl on that regard."

"I was just teasing. Of course, I'm not a lavish wedding type of girl. I really am more simplistic and I'd hate to have so much attention put on me. The most important thing to me about the ceremony is the two of us saying our vows and promising ourselves to one another forever, and that I marry you as soon as possible. It really has nothing to do with my being pregnant, but more so that now that you've proposed and I'd already waited ten years, I think I don't want to wait any longer."

"Well, honey, I'd marry you in Vegas tomorrow if that's what your heart desires. The same thing that matters to you is what matters to me. As long as you're happy, I can do without all the pomp and circumstance. But, it's your call, Bella. Whatever you want."

"I don't exactly want to elope to Vegas either. I'd really want our closest family and friends to be there and have it somewhere nice. Besides, both sets of parents would kill us if they weren't in attendance at our wedding. However, I really don't want to have to plan something so elaborate, especially in my condition. I think that I would just get stressed and that will affect the babies. Something very small and very simple seems just about right."

We moved off the couch and retreated to our bedroom where we proceeded to plan our entire wedding in between bouts of making love. I guess we did our best thinking while completely immersed in desire. By morning, and with only a few hours of sleep for the both of us, our plans were made.

We were both on our phones non-stop for the rest of the day afterward, making the wedding arrangements and relaying our news to our closest family and friends. The reactions, as expected, were priceless, but for the most part, everyone was delighted with both of our news and was on board with the quickie wedding.

The romantic getaway I had planned earlier became mine and Bella's honeymoon, and the day before, she became a Cullen officially.

We got married in a little chapel that was by the beach by our childhood friend, Jacob, who was recently ordained. Because he was our friend, he was willing to marry us despite the short notice.

The little chapel was really no longer used anymore as a place of worship and mainly stood there on the cliff side as decoration, but it was where Bella wanted to get married and so I had to make it happen. Amazingly, I was able to pull it off within the little amount of time I had. It took a ton of phone calls and finally a favor from a client of mine, which allowed us to have our wedding there, but it was beautiful and exactly the right place to have our wedding ceremony. It was a small, intimate venue; therefore, only our closest family and friends, which totaled only about 35 people were able to attend the wedding. Bella cherished that the people we loved the most were a part of our big day.

Bella didn't want anything too formal, so she wore a simple white cocktail dress, which still made her the most beautiful woman on earth, while I was wearing her favorite dark suit. We didn't have bridesmaids and groomsmen, not wanting to deal with the drama as to who got picked to be a part of the wedding. Instead, she asked her Grandma Swan to be her Matron of Honor and my dad was my Best Man. It was perfect.

Alice, one of Bella's best friends, as well as my brother's girlfriend, took over all the decorations and made the old chapel look stunning with lovely ribbons and lots of Easter Lily flowers, Bella's favorite, without overdoing the decor. She also did a nice job sprucing up the backyard of my parents' house where the reception took place. Jasper couldn't have been prouder of what his girlfriend had accomplished.

We dined on catered food from one of Bella's favorite restaurants and got rave reviews on the cake from Bella's favorite bakery. We danced late into the night to our favorite music in the lighted gazebo that was in the yard, having a wonderful time, until Bella became insatiable with desire once more and we had to excuse ourselves to head back to our own home.

We were fortunate that our one big splurge for the wedding was actually hiring a driver to drive us home, because I certainly wouldn't have been able to drive Bella and I home. Especially not when Bella couldn't keep her hands off of me. She practically was tearing my clothes off of me in the limo ride back to our house.

I'm not ashamed to say that we definitely began our honeymoon early.

It has been said that pregnant women tend to gain this ravenous sex drive that could last way into their third trimester, which is supposedly due to their hormones being out of control. I could confirm that it was definitely true of Bella.

We only managed a little sightseeing on our romantic getaway and that was just right before we left the lovely Hawaiian islands. Most of the time, Bella opted to stay in our private bungalow on the beach, wasting the days and nights away making love. She was like a machine, and, admittedly, I was worn out. I think I was the one that had trouble walking after our marathon sex sessions.

Naturally, my traitorous dick had no complaints.

Throughout her pregnancy, Bella's libido never lessened, and I'd had the most sex I think I'd ever had in all the years we'd been together. I could never say no to her, no matter how tired I was, but she also made it difficult to say no to her. She would give me that cute, pouty face of hers, unleash her doe-eyes on me, and bat her eyelashes, and I was putty in her hands. I just let her take me and have her way with me. I really received a workout throughout all three of Bella's trimesters.

Irregardless, again, I couldn't complain. I went to bed every night with a smile on my face and woke up every morning to blow jobs or Bella mounting me. It was a charmed life, and a life I think a lot of men dreamed of.

Admittedly, though, I looked forward to the six weeks after birth where we were banned from any sexual relations. It would be the break I needed. I'm sure by then, and especially after the labor, sex would be the last thing on Bella's mind.

As Bella's stomach grew over the months, so did her cravings. I can't even count how many nights after sex I needed to make a trip down to our local Walmart to buy something that Bella craved that we didn't have in our kitchen. Anything from pumpkin pie to all manner of sweet chocolate confections. The night cashiers were even starting to recognize me.

I'd even had to make her the equivalent of a Dairy Queen blizzard treat one day, with ice cream, M&M's, Reese's Pieces, and crumbled Oreo cookies, because she just had to have it and she needed all those treats inside, since she couldn't decide on just one.

Bella was steadily gaining weight and even though she ate for three, her metabolism must've kicked in because she certainly didn't look like she ate like a horse. All of the weight she gained was mostly at her front. She always complained about her voracious appetite, but I was quick to point out that she wasn't very big at all, despite carrying twins, and tell her that she was more beautiful than ever. She really was lovely, pregnant, and I swear what they say about pregnant women glowing had to be true, because there was a whole different glow about her.

Maybe it was due to all the sex, but I really was constantly stunned by how beautiful she looked each day. It was another reason why I also couldn't say no to all the sex. I mean, I'd be foolish to have turned down such a beautiful woman, even though she had turned into one hell of a sex kitten. The exercise we both got with all the sex we were having could've been another reason why Bella still looked pretty fit, even having gained 25 pounds already by the time she was 20 weeks along in her pregnancy.

I went to every doctor's appointment with Bella, not wanting to miss out on any of the experience, and always came out of each appointment a blubbering mess. If my friends knew, they'd definitely call me a wuss, but I just couldn't help it. It was just remarkable experience for me to go through with Bella. Every time we got a new ultrasound of the babies or learned some more news about the babies' growth, my heart swelled.

When the time came for us to find out the gender of our babies, we didn't hesitate to find out what we were having. Being the planner that I am, I wanted to be prepared for my twins arrival.

We found out we were having a baby girl and a baby boy. We both couldn't be happier.

We hadn't used all the money that was in our wedding fund for our actual wedding, since our wedding was relatively cheap in cost. We still had a considerable amount of money left and decided to use the rest of that money in preparation for the babies. Bella had a good time shopping for everything we needed, and it was a good thing that we had a considerable budget to work with due to the excess wedding fund money, since we needed to buy practically everything in two, and baby items were not cheap.

I worked on getting the nursery ready-painting and placing the furniture inside. The room was practically filled to the brim with all manner of baby stuff between Bella's shopping sprees and all the gifts we were receiving from family and friends. I could already tell that our babies were going to be two of the most spoiled children on Earth, if all the material things they already had even before they came into this world were of any indication.

When Bella was eight months along, we enrolled in Lamaze classes, and while it proved to be very educational for the two of us, Bella didn't buy that any of the breathing techniques and methods we'd learned in the class would actually help her when it came time for labor. I told her that I supported her in any decision she'd make on that regard when the time came.

The time came during her 39th week, right on her fore casted due date, in the middle of the night. Once Bella determined that it was real contractions she was feeling and not just the Braxton Hicks kind, she woke me up calmly to let me know that the babies were ready to be born.

I, on the other hand, was a flustered mess.

I did manage to get my laboring wife to the hospital and endured a long, sleepless, rest of the night with her playing her favorite board game, Scattergories, as she tried to distract herself from her painful contractions. She was one of those women that was having a long labor, which some women who were on the first pregnancy normally had. Even though I was tired as heck, I was sticking out this labor with her.

Her water was broken a couple of hours after dawn broke, which moved her labor further along, and naturally, became more painful. She had an epidural put in before it was too late for her to get one and the labor got to be too uncomfortable. I was a bit squeamish at the site of that needle being inserted into the middle of her back, but I was grateful that it offered her the relief she needed. Bella even managed to get some rest before it was time for her to push.

Shortly before 1 o'clock in the afternoon, our boy, Edward Junior, or EJ, as he is known now, was born and five minutes later his baby sister, Anabella, made her appearance into the world. Of course, I documented everything with my camera, through both video and photo stills.

While they were twins, they looked nothing alike. Many would concur with that observation. Anabella was the spitting image of her mother, with brown curls and big, brown doe eyes while EJ was a mini version of me, having the same color hair and eyes as I did.

It was funny how things turned out that way, but Bella and I wouldn't have had it any other way. We liked having tiny versions of each of ourselves.

The moment I laid eyes on my twins, my whole world shifted. My life wasn't about just me and Bella anymore, they were now a part of it. I couldn't wait to live through the whole experience again.

That was if, after all this, Bella was willing to give me more children.

I felt it better not to broach the subject right then, however.

The day we took the twins home, our lives were forever changed. Bella already knew then that she didn't want to miss a moment of our babies' lives and opted to become a stay-at-home mom. The decision was fine with me, since I made more than enough to support our little family. I was a bit envious, though, that she would get to spend all the time with our twins, while I wouldn't since I had to earn a living. That was why I made the most of my weekends and days off, spending it doting on my babies.

For the first couple of months, it was a lot of sleepless nights, drowning in endless sea of diapers, and a lot of grossness that I'd rather not elaborate on. But, such was the world of having babies.

There was also many rewarding moments as well. Each of which were documented thoroughly-their first smiles, the first night they both slept through the evening, and their first coos. Every milestone was made into a huge event. I actually left work early a few times as soon as Bella gave me the call that the babies had reached another milestone, rushing home to experience it for myself.

My life couldn't be more perfect. I had everything I wanted, and more importantly, I had Bella and our children. While, at first, the news of the babies, were quite a surprise, I could not imagine what life would be like without them. Bella and I may not have felt we were ready for children, but some higher power in the universe knew that we were. I think we were actually getting the hang of being parents.

My only complaint was that a year went by way too quickly. Now, we found ourselves with one year olds, who were already toddling around like little penguins. The twins were growing up so fast, and I found myself wanting to freeze time, so that these baby days would last just a little while longer. I wanted to enjoy their precious moments as little, innocent, babies before they turned into little terrors.

Not saying that my EJ and Anabella would be, but you never know. I know my siblings and I were a handful for my parents until we all became more mature.

No matter, Bella and I were already planning our next child. We enjoyed the twins so much, we thought it wouldn't hurt to have a few more. I was already preparing myself for the wrath of Bella's insatiable libido once she got pregnant again; now that I knew.

Nearly two years ago, Bella and I took a walk in the garden and we planted a tree-our family tree. She was the flower and I was the seed, and out of that walk was born two precious angels. It was the start of the next generation of Cullens.


End file.
